


One Night to Wonder

by SassySnowperson



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Beach Sex, Friends With Benefits, Lando Calrissian Just Wants His Friend to Relax, Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian's Sexy Jedi Treasurehunt, M/M, Massage, POV Lando Calrissian, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Stressed Out Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:01:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25091299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassySnowperson/pseuds/SassySnowperson
Summary: Luke always looked tired, these days, half-distracted by mysteries Lando couldn't sense and wouldn't understand. He looked grave and serious, and exactly like a proper Jedi Master should. Problem was, he didn't look much likeLuke.
Relationships: Lando Calrissian/Luke Skywalker
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54
Collections: Little Black Dress Exchange 2020





	One Night to Wonder

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aurae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurae/gifts).



> Written for the Little Black Dress exchange, for [Aurae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurae/pseuds/Aurae) .
> 
> Aurae, I love ST Luke Skywalker too! Thanks for giving me a chance to write him!
> 
> A million, million thanks to my beta, who managed a wonderful review in record time, since I procrastinated a LITTLE bit. Thanks, friend, for saving me from myself :D Any remaining mistakes are entirely my own.

"Good news," Lando Calrissian announced as Luke Skywalker entered the yacht's central lounge. "Your hunch paid off. That Jedi hunter, Ochi of Bestoon, was here. Not that long ago. Ship was able to pick up the same hyperspace trail we got out of the Daruj system. It's pretty diffuse now, though. Now, the ship needs to compile the readings. Current estimate says it’s going to take nineteen hours." 

Luke gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, his face looking grave. "I'm sorry. This is turning into a longer hunt than I'd planned. I don't mean to inconvenience you—" 

"The transparisteel finishing business I started up on Miu sold for a nice chunk of change once the shipyard picked up the contract with us," Lando reassured him for the eighth time so far. "I have joined the ranks of the idle rich. I have time for you. Hell, I might actually retire this time." 

"You always say that." Luke settled into one of the lounge's couches. "And you always find some new venture to grab your attention." 

"I like change," Lando shrugged. "But right now, what I like most is helping my old friend find a clue to the evil map he's hunting." 

"Sith wayfinder," Luke corrected, rote, no sign of amusement on his features. He reached down and pulled an old paper text out of his bag, along with an ancient-looking writing instrument. 

Lando's own smile fell. Once upon a time, even a throwaway joke like that would have been enough to make Luke light up. But it had been years since they'd spent more than a few hours in each other's company, and the passing time had clearly taken its toll on Luke. He always looked tired, these days, half-distracted by mysteries Lando couldn't sense and wouldn't understand. 

"How's the temple doing?" Lando asked, an attempt to bring Luke's attention back to him. 

"Hm?" Luke glanced up, too blank-faced for Lando to know if he was irritated. 

"The temple? You just commed them, how are they?" 

The lines along Luke's brow grew deeper, which was the opposite of what Lando had been hoping for. "Fine," he said. "Lor San's handling everything." 

"Doesn't look fine," Lando pointed out. 

Luke shook his head. "I should be there. If something goes wrong…this journey is going to take longer than I'd thought. I don't feel good about leaving." 

"You left it in good hands," Lando reminded him gently. "You have been at that temple night and day for the last…how old is Ben now? Thirteen? So the last ten years or so. You deserve a break." 

"It's not so bad," Luke insisted. "I like teaching. And it's important." 

"This is important too. I seem to remember a smart guy once saying that part of the future of the Jedi was also in figuring out its legacy." 

Luke finally smiled then, the barest twitch of his lips. It felt like a victory. 

"Knowing the past lets us write a better future," Lando pressed, echoing Luke's words back to him. "This is good work." 

Luke gave a solemn nod. "I appreciate the insight," he said, and looked back to his text. 

Lando folded his arms and gave Luke a regarding stare. Luke didn't notice, too caught up in his notes. 

Lando had thought he was doing a fairly good job, maintaining his old friendships. Since Luke had settled down at the temple, Lando had made a point to visit at least a couple times a year. By day, Lando would walk the grounds or sit in on Luke's classes, watching Luke figure out how to lead the next generation of Jedi. And then by night he'd sneak into Luke's quarters with a bottle of Corellian brandy to have a drink and laugh about old times. 

But Lando had gotten busy over the last few years, and clearly, he had missed some things. Luke had hardened into someone grave and difficult to read. The man he had once only been when trying to strike terror into difficult students was now who he was all the time. Lando felt responsible for not catching it sooner, but maybe he could still do some good now. 

Putting his plan into action, Lando went to the small kitchenette and prepared some hot chocolate, heavy with cream and kissed with spice, just the way Luke liked it. He put it by Luke's elbow and waited. 

Luke glanced up, then blinked over at the hot chocolate next to him. He raised an eyebrow over at Lando. "Is this a hint?" 

"No," Lando said. "It's not quite subtle enough to be considered a hint. Maybe more of a nudge?" 

"A nudge that I should drink more hot chocolate," Luke said. 

"A nudge that you should do more things that you enjoy," Lando insisted. "You've always been a little too good at scooping up the burdens of the galaxy and holding them on your back. You'll break under them, if you're not careful." 

Luke tucked the text safely back away in his bag again, before picking up the hot chocolate and taking a long drink. He closed his eyes as he drank, and gave a contented sigh as he lowered the mug again. "Perfect," he said softly. "Just the way I like." 

"I know what you like," Lando said. He leaned in, pressing his advantage. "Let me take you out tonight. Your kids are in good hands. Worrying about them is about as useful as staring at a closed door and hoping it will open." 

"When I do that, the door actually opens," Luke said, glancing over at the sliding door going back to the cockpit and narrowing his eyes. It slid open with an obedient hiss, and Luke gave Lando a bratty smile. 

Lando, internally, rejoiced to see it. "Come on, we're stuck here anyway while we wait for the computer to compile the jump. Have some fun with me." 

"I don't know what you're expecting to find out there," Luke said, waving his hand vaguely in the direction of the ramp. "We're on a metal platform that seems to be the only construction on an entire ocean-covered planet. I can't imagine there's anything out there other than some spacer's bars." 

Lando's smile grew broader. "Oh! You've never been to Shallsha before." 

Luke started to look a little worried. "No?" 

"Alright," Lando stood up, brushing his hands against his thighs. "We're going to do this properly. I'm going to need about two hours, so you go ahead and be studious and diligent while I run errands. But once I get back, you're mine for the rest of the evening. Agreed?" 

Luke looked a little dubious. "I suspect you won't let me alone until I agree to something. So yes, agreed. But I'm skeptical." 

"I'll just have to prove you wrong," Lando said, squeezing Luke's shoulder as he swept out of the room.

* * *

"I'm still skeptical," Luke called from his room. "I look like a demented Endor blue butterfly."

Lando finished the last adjustment to his own attire, and entered Luke's room. Luke had his back to him, looking in the mirror, fiddling with the belt that held closed the shimmering waterfall of draped silk Lando had encouraged him into. 

Lando's breath caught as he saw Luke in the getup. He'd suspected it would be a good color, but it suited Luke even better than he'd dreamed. The rich blue was perfect against his pale skin, and Luke's greying blond hair added a certain gravitas to the outfit. 

"Oh, shush, you're beautiful," Lando corrected, coming into the room. Luke's eyes widened as he caught sight of Lando in the mirror, and they were made so vivid by the fabric that Lando mentally congratulated himself again. 

Lando was dressed in a gold version of the silk that looked phenomenal against his dark skin, if he did say so himself. He had brushed a little gold dust across his collarbones to heighten the effect. A warm flush of pleasure rolled through him, following Luke's intent eyes looking him up and down. It was always nice to have an appreciative audience. 

Lando slid up behind Luke, laid one hand on his waist, and leaned to press a kiss against the one bare shoulder the asymmetrical drape was designed to show. Luke shivered, but he didn't protest. Lando smiled a little against Luke's skin. Good to know Luke hadn't picked up any objections to their flirtation in their time apart. 

Lando stepped back, offering his own bare arm. "Shall we, Master Skywalker?" 

"You pull it off, but I still say I look ridiculous," Luke grumbled, but he tucked his hand in Lando's elbow anyway. 

"Trust me," Lando said. 

He lead Luke out of the yacht, along the docks, where they did stand out as figures in drab jumpsuits moved around them tending to ships and shifting cargo. Luke's steps grew hesitant, but Lando kept him moving until they found the small building that housed the gravlift. 

Luke gave it a confused look, at the empty sky above it, at the dock floor below. "Where does it go?" he asked. 

"Let's find out," Lando said, and escorted Luke inside. The walls of the lift were transparent glass, though at the moment the view was less than inspiring—the dingy grey steel of the lift housing. Lando reached forward and keyed in their destination. They dropped down. 

For a few long seconds, more grey steel swung by at a sedate pace, as the gravpod fell from the lift housing into scaffolding into vents and ducts. A faint shimmering light illuminated the tubing, growing brighter as they got closer to what appeared to be the floor. They plunged down, and through the floor. 

And into pure magic. 

Lando had had the pleasure of visiting Shallsha before, and it never failed to take his breath away. A sprawling habitation under the sea, broad walls of transparisteel opening it up to the sights of the ocean. The shallow water bathed the city in green-gold, which was picked up by the opalescent stone that lined the streets and the buildings. 

The gravlift descended slowly from the ceiling of the habitation down to the ground floor, giving its occupants plenty of time to take in the view. 

Lando turned from the breathtaking view, eager to take in Luke's reaction. It was a sight nearly as breathtaking as the city. Gone was the reserve from Luke's face. Instead, Luke's eyes were wide with wonder and his mouth hung slightly open. He had pressed the tips of his fingers against the gravlifts glass.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lando asked as they fell through the city.

"I had no idea," Like murmured. 

They reached the base floor and Lando offered his arm again. Luke took it, and let Lando guide them through the city. Lando spent most of the walk watching Luke, enjoying the way Luke's eyes darted left and right, taking it all in. 

The city bustled around them, a patchwork of different species. Many of the more humanoid forms wore the same silks Luke and Lando donned, and through the transparent walls, large fish with elegant fins that could have been silk themselves floated by. 

"The Ettab people," Lando informed Luke, when he noticed Luke taking an interest in those large fish. "Our hosts. An entirely aquatic species, not amphibious like most of our peers. This city was built as a…" 

"A terrarium," Luke filled in, sounding amused. 

Lando barked out a little laugh. "Indeed. The Ettab have no interest in figuring out how to thrive aboveground, so you don't see too many in the broader galaxy. This place, and a few others like it on the planet, are their grandest foray into galactic diplomacy." He pointed over to one wall, which was dotted with the same force fields that kept the vacuum of space outside of ship hangers. "There's the easiest place to meet them." 

"Who comes here? Tourists?" Luke guessed. 

Lando shook his head. "Some, but mostly merchants, actually. It's pretty far off the regular hyperspace line, and not well known to anyone without gills. They do have decent relationships with the Mon Cal and the Nautolans, and they're known in those communities exporting the most beautiful, and durable, shell." Lando gestured at the shimmering translucent path underneath them. "I've long thought there was an opportunity in bringing this product to the wider galaxy." 

Luke chuckled alongside him. "I thought you were retired. Always looking or the next opportunity, hm?" 

"I am retired," Lando paused, then added, "for the moment. But it never pays to keep your eyes open." 

They strolled the streets a little longer, before Lando lead them over to the front doors of the restaurant. The host escorted them into a stunning large room with wide glass windows, pressed up at the edge of the city, water on the other side. They sat at the table and watched the wildlife swim by. 

Lando declined the menu and ordered for both of them, a few different courses featuring local cuisine. "Does that sound good?" He asked Luke. 

Luke shook his head a little, bringing his attention away from the ocean beyond the glass wall and back to Lando and the patient server standing by their table. "Ah, I'm sure it will be excellent. You know my taste." 

"I am your taste," Lando shot back, before nodding to the waiter that their order was complete. "Culinarily speaking, I shudder to imagine where you'd be without me." 

"Still thinking base rations were the height of fine taste," Luke joked back, offering Lando a lopsided smile. 

"The horror," Lando said. He felt a little lump in his throat as he remembered those younger days, when he stole Luke away from the Rebellion and treated him to nice dinners. They had both been so young then. "I'm glad you came out with me." 

"Me too," Luke said, his voice a little distant. 

Lando wondered if Luke was reliving those same memories. 

Luke shook his head, coming back to himself, and smiled at Lando. "It's like nothing I've seen before." 

"You've never stopped being a desert kid, have you? Always so fascinated by wet and green," Lando replied, and shared a knowing smile with Luke. 

Their first course came, fresh fruit and raw fish layered and sliced together. Luke gave the plate a dubious look. 

"It's perfectly safe," Lando reassured him. 

"I know, I just…" Luke's eyes darted sideways, to where an Ettab drifted lazily next to the glass, then back to the plate. "Seems a bit rude," he muttered. 

Lando couldn't quite help his bark of a laugh. "Come on, Luke. Would you get offended if they ate a bantha steak? There's plenty of things in the sea that aren't sapient." To prove his point, Lando layered the fruit and fish together, and enjoyed the sweet-salt dancing on his tongue. He swallowed, adding, "and this one is particularly tasty." 

Luke gave Lando a little head tilt of wry acknowledgement, and ate a slice of his own with a soft groan of appreciation. "Delicious," he decided, as his tongue darted out to capture some fruit juice that had dripped onto his bottom lip. 

Lando had to fight the urge to lean across the table and kiss the juice off Luke's lips himself. It didn't help at all when Luke caught him looking, and deliberately dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. Flirt. 

The rest of dinner was equally an adventure, the undersea cuisine of Shallsha refreshingly different from the common food of the rest of the galaxy. It was best fresh, and it was only fresh here. 

Between dinner and the desserts course (because any meal out with Luke should involve a desserts course; the man had an irrepressible sweet tooth) Lando coaxed Luke out onto the restaurant's dance floor, swaying with him beneath the waves. 

He snapped Luke out in a twirl and whirled him back in, laughing and blushing. He did kiss Luke then, quick and sweet, and then again, longer, when Luke leaned into it. "Want to get out of here?" Luke asked, his voice low and husky. 

Arousal flashed hot through his veins—Luke that close with that voice was electrifying. But Lando had many years to learn control, and he had better plans for Luke than letting Luke drag him back to the yacht for a quick fuck. 

"Before dessert?" Lando said. 

Luke's face was immediately conflicted, and Lando laughed and lead him back to the table, where he fed Luke little bites of different dessert dishes—a creamy pudding, a fizzy jelly, a spongy bread-like square drizzled with something sweet. 

Full and satisfied, they left the restaurant, and Luke raised his eyebrows and looked back over at the gravlift. "Back to the ship?" he asked. 

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm not done with you yet," Lando promised, leaning over Luke's hand and giving it a kiss. "I was promised a whole evening with you, and I intend to fill it." 

Luke's cheeks were tinged with pink when Lando looked back up, and he nodded his acquiescence. 

"Good," Lando said. 

He took Luke to the edge of one of the forcefields. The alcove was labeled, 'Launching Bay.' 

Luke gave it a curious look. "Are we…?" 

"Best way to appreciate the ocean properly is in it," Lando affirmed. 

Luke gave his silks a dubious glance. 

"They're designed for underwater use, never fear. It's actually considered a feature," Lando reassured him, as he went off to a small kiosk to rent breathing fields and a pair of underwater speeders. 

Luke glanced a little dubiously at the necklace that generated the breathing field. "I never really got the hang of swimming," he said. 

"I know." Lando snapped the metal circle around Luke's neck and took a step back. He reached into his pocket and held up the speeder keys. "But did you know there are no speed limits so long as you are at least thirty meters outside the city?" 

Luke's eyes lit up. 

The speeders themselves were beautiful little things—single-seater bikes, knifed in the front with stabilizing fins in the back, and massive engines that could chew through the water as easily as their terrestrial cousins soured through the air. Lando knew his friend's taste and rented the best.

"They're beautiful," Luke said, his prior reluctance nowhere to be found. 

Lando had to wonder, as he tossed Luke one set of keys, if any of his temple students or fellow teachers had any idea that beneath the reserved mask of the Jedi master lurked the galaxy's most reckless violator of speed and safety laws. And Lando said this knowing Han Solo. Han at least had the courtesy to be running from someone when he did something risky and insane. Luke did it for the thrill. 

Fortunately, the press of the unrelenting ocean seemed to flag the worst of his reckless impulses. They played in the water, darting loops and twirls around each other. The breathing field formed an orb around their faces that kept the ocean back and filtered breathable air in, while its comm pickup meant that Lando heard every whoop and laugh of joy from Luke. 

It was fun, the kind of fun Lando suspected Luke hadn't let himself have for a long time. 

Lando eventually set off at a brisk clip away from the underwater city, and further into the sea. Luke was quick on his tail, and Lando took them through the shimmering water. 

"Where are we going?" asked Luke over the comm. 

"To see something wonderful." 

The first things that could be seen through the water were dim pillars. Lando pointed his speeder at them and gestured for Luke to follow. As they grew closer, the color and shape became more clear. The grey brightened into a patchwork of color—from a distance still muted greens and pinks and yellows. 

The pillars were spires of coral, growing up from the ocean floor, a patchwork of individual pieces growing up and over each other. They approached, and the water cleared still further, the colors becoming a vivid riot of life, and individual shapes of the Ettab moving in and around the spires could be seen. 

"Is it…a city?" Luke asked slowly. From inside his air bubble, Lando could see his head turning to look from one wonder to another. 

"Got it in one. Welcome to…I don't actually know what the locals call it. Their speech all falls below the human hearing range. But the best translation I've heard is the Seven Centers. Lando gestured at the spires, seven of them towering high in the water, the sparkling sky of the ocean's surface over them. 

"It's beautiful," Luke said.

"It's late afternoon, up there," Lando gestured above. "Makes the light here all golden. It's my favorite time to view the city. Come on, I want to show you the garden."

Lando gestured for Luke to follow, and they dove into the city, following the currents that served as transportation lanes. More and more Ettab swam around them, flicking their fins in what Lando had learned was their gesture of greeting. Lando did his best to return the gesture with his silks. Communication wasn't easy, but Lando believed in trying anyway. It usually seemed to work. 

Lando took them through a corridor low between two of the pillars of coral, their spires looming above them. The Seven Centers were more intimidating close up, as the individual coral became more clear—tiny beings as a part of the massive whole. The scope was overwhelming. Beautiful, Lando thought, breathtaking. He hoped Luke was enjoying it. There wasn't any sight like it in the galaxy. 

They wound around one of technicolor pillars, and through a small tunnel formed of coral. They shot out the other side, into the garden.

Lando heard Luke give an excited gasp next to him.

Fat stalks of sea kelp, so big Luke and Lando could not have joined hands around them, reached up and up, forming a kelp forest. Branching tendrils created a sort of canopy above them. The space between the huge stalks was cleared for wide beds of shorter plants, blues and pinks and greens and purples dotting the sea floor. Rocky overhangs grew on either end of the park, porous and full of fish darting in and out, and clusters of sea anemones dotting the side of the rock face. 

"Oh, Lando," Luke said, his voice filled with wonder.

"About as far from Tatooine as you can get, hm?"

"That's one way of putting it," Luke said, taking his speeder in and around one of the large kelp trees. "This place is a marvel." After a slow circle, taking it all in, Luke asked, "You said garden. Is this a...farm?"

"More of a park, as near as I can tell. Look at the locals," Lando gestured discreetly to where a family of Ettab darted in and out of the kelp, playing what looked like a game of tag. 

"They do seem to be enjoying the place. Are we intruding?" Luke asked, a worried note entering his voice. 

"No. As long as you don't try to swim over and touch them or anything, I think most of the population views us as a sort of novelty art piece that occasionally wanders around."

"That's fair," Luke said, a little laugh in his voice. He wound his speeder around a couple more of the kelp trees, then came back to Lando. "Thank you for showing me this place. I had no idea anything like this existed.” 

"Galaxy's full of wonders. I'm just glad I got to be here when you saw it." Lando was close enough to Luke that he could clearly see Luke's expression of delight despite the two layers of breathing fields between them. He felt a curl of pride, that he had been the one to put it on Luke's face. "Come on, let me show you some of my other favorite spots."

Lando took Luke through the city, showing him the places Lando had found on past visits. What Lando dubbed the art gallery, a section of coral that was deliberately sculpted into fantastic shapes. Another place Lando thought of as a racetrack, where Ettab floated to the side and shook their fins in a sort of cheer as various fish raced through translucent twisting tunnels. And then, finally, Lando pointed them toward the mountains that seemed to form the backdrop of the city. 

Lando lead Luke up and around the mountain in a spiralling ascent, the wide body of the mountain narrowing until they broke the surface of the ocean. The world shifted—the shimmering ceiling of the underwater world becoming the surface of the ocean and the peak of the mountain manifested as a quiet island. The durasteel bulk of the Shallsha port was just a blur of distant lights on the horizon.

They dismounted the speeders on the shore and Luke followed Lando up onto the sands. As they moved from water to land, their garments almost seemed to grab at the air. A slight breeze shivered through the weave of the fabric, funneling out water in little channels in its wake.

Luke held up an arm and watched the water flow. "Handy," he commented.

"I told you they were designed for this. A marvelous garment for a marvelous world."

"Ever the salesman," Luke said with an affectionate smile. 

"Am I wrong?" Lando asked, gesturing at the horizon, where the sun was setting, and the stars were just starting to emerge. Even all the wonders of Shallsha couldn't make mundane the simple beauty of the sunset over the ocean and the vast spread of night sky. As much as Lando loved the rare and unusual, he wanted to share this everyday marvel with Luke, as well. "I thought we might do some stargazing." 

"Uh-huh," Luke said, taking a step closer to Lando. "Get me out to a nice island, in the middle of nowhere, _just_ for some stargazing. Right."

"And what would you rather do?" Lando asked, his voice as mild as cream. 

Luke took another step closer, and ran a finger along the draped gold fabric of the front of Lando's garment, following the line of down to where the front pocket sat. Luke reached inside Lando's pocket, and Lando could feel the movement of Luke's hand against his hip. 

Luke drew back his hand, holding a bottle of oil that Lando had planned on introducing a little bit later in the evening. Luke gave him a little grin. "Not typically used in stargazing." 

Lando took advantage of the proximity, wrapping his arm around Luke's back and pulling Luke closer until they were pressed chest-to-chest. Lando brushed a kiss to the lobe of Luke's ear, before whispering, "You're so stressed. I thought you could do with a massage." 

Luke hummed. "Just a massage?" 

"We'll see where it goes," Lando said, kissing a little lower at the tender skin at the hinge of the jaw. He loved the way Luke shivered in his arms. 

"Alright," Luke said, sounding husky.

Lando's hand went to Luke's belt, unwinding the fabric until the silks returned to the long strip of fabric they started as, and Luke was naked in the rising moonlight. Lando found himself utterly distracted at the way the pale light kissed Luke's skin, limning the curves of his shoulders, his belly, his thighs, and the soft swell of his cock. 

Luke caught him looking and shuffled a foot, a little smile on his face as he stepped forward. "You know, that looks a little thin as a blanket. I think it could use another layer." His hand went to Lando's belt. 

Lando had no problems with that plan, and he was soon nude to match. Luke's hands lingered along Lando's ribs as he unwrapped the fabric, and his eyes were doing their own tour of Lando's form, as well. 

It was only Lando's determination to see Luke properly relaxed that kept Lando from tumbling Luke down to the sand and taking him, quick and messy and frantic. As delicious as that would be, it wasn't what Luke _needed_. So Lando turned around and spread the silks out on the sand, gold over the blue. 

He had just finished smoothing the corner down, when he felt Luke press against his back, kissing the nape of Lando's neck. Lando felt tingles prickle down his spine and his self-control wavered. "Careful, Luke, or you're going to talk me out of that massage." 

"I somehow don't think it's the talking that's going to be the deciding factor," Luke murmured against Lando's skin. But he obediently separated from Lando and laid down on his belly, pillowing his head on his hands. "Work away." 

They'd started doing this (decidedly less nude) long before their friendship came to include any sort of flirtation. After Luke got his replacement hand, he had trouble balancing, and his back had been a mess of knots. Lando had offered to help out, and they worked out the kinks in Luke's shoulder. Lando figured he knew Luke's back better than he did his own. 

Even if Lando hadn't already known about Luke's years of worry and responsibility, the first press of his fingers against Luke's skin would have told him. Luke had always carried his stress in his back, and he was carrying a mountainload now. There was a mess of knots hidden along the curve of his shoulder. His muscles were tight cords along his spine. Lando took his time and worked through them both, until he could feel the knots loosen and the muscle start to relax. 

Luke groaned softly. "Feels amazing." 

"It should," Lando said, dragging his thumbs along the base of the spine. "Your back's a mess. What have you been doing to yourself?" 

That last sentence came out a little more plaintive than Lando had wanted. Luke gave a faint sigh under his hands. "Ignoring myself, mostly." 

"Well, that's no good," Lando said, running his hands in circles over Luke's back. "Come on, relax for me." He pressed and stroked around Luke's biceps, along the ribs, chasing wherever Luke's tension was. Spine, to hips, to ass. Lando massaged one cheek, then the other. 

Luke canted his hips, an unmistakable invitation, and one Lando didn't intend to refuse. He gave Luke's ass one more squeeze, before sliding up Luke's body and whispering, "Roll over for me. I want to see your face." 

Luke obligingly turned in Lando's arms, and Lando smiled down at him. Luke. His old friend. More emphasis on the old now, than before. It was hard to tell, these days, if Luke's hair is blond or white anymore, the lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth sat deeper than they ever had. But Luke has always had a certain ethereal beauty, and the years hadn't touched that. 

Lando stroked Luke's face. "As beautiful as any of the wonders I've seen," Lando murmured. 

In the moonlight, Luke's skin reflected a pale blue, and the flush on his cheeks showed a faint purple. Lando could stare at Luke forever, and be happy. 

Luke was not so patient. He wound his arms around Lando's neck and pulled Lando down onto him. Lando went with a little laugh, capturing Luke's sweet mouth with his own. 

"Haven't you drawn this out long enough?" Luke asked, his lips still brushing against Lando's as he spoke. 

Lando laughed softly as he pushed back from Luke. "No, darling. I'm still very dedicated to getting you relaxed." 

Luke's smile was genuine, but it carried a little sadness to it. "I think this is as relaxed as I get, these days." 

Lando tapped his two fingers under Luke's chin, shifting until Luke was looking him right in the eye. Gazing into Luke's beautiful blue eyes, Lando promised softly, "I'm going to drive you out of your mind. I'm going to reduce you to incoherence, and when you can do nothing but beg in whimpers, that's when I'll take you." 

Lando's gaze meant he saw exactly how Luke's eyes widened, exactly how his pupils blew out with lust. 

"Yes," Lando purred, and got to work. 

He poured out the oil again, drizzling it along Luke's chest. A beautiful canvas for him to paint. Luke shivered at the touch of the oil, gasping softly when Lando moved his thumb in slick circles around one nipple, then the other, until they hardened into peaks. Luke gasped, twisted, but it was still restrained. Lando knew what Luke looked uninhibited, and he wasn't there yet. 

Lando drew his fingers in soft lines down Luke's belly to the curve of his hips. He curled his fingers, scraping lightly with his nails, enjoying the little twitches that pulled out of Luke and the barely repressed giggle. Still ticklish. Good to know. Lando followed the brush of his fingers with tongue, laving kisses sharp and soft against Luke, down, down. 

Lando could feel Luke starting to lose control. He was making little jerking movements as he slid along the silk, his soft words becoming keens as Lando worked. 

Lando pulled off just before his mouth would have traced along Luke's cock. But before Luke's whine of protest could fully manifest, Lando drizzled more oil along Luke's thighs. He dug his fingers into the strong muscle there. 

They might be getting old, but neither of them had grown soft. Luke's thighs were corded with use. Lando had to work his fingers hard before he felt the tension give way. Luke's legs twitched to meet Lando's fingers as he gave a soft whine, almost pained. 

"Doing alright?" Lando asked. 

" _Stars_ ," Luke breathed, and Lando felt safe saying that was a yes. He massaged Luke's thighs a little longer, working his way from hips down to knees. Luke's little hitched whines as Lando dug his fingers into muscle were going straight to his cock, and he had to fight a powerful urge just to use his grip to pry Luke's thighs apart and drive into him. 

Luke wouldn't have minded, Lando thought, but there was an artistry to this sort of thing, and the moment still wasn't quite right. He lightened his grip, stroking Luke in little feather-light touches. He curled his fingers over the soft skin behind Luke's knee, then worked his way back up, worshiping the tender skin of Luke's inner thigh. 

Luke's groans turned to whimpers, he murmured over and over again, "Please, please." 

And there it was. Something in the way Luke's head rolled back, in the way his hands twitched against the silk, and the looseness of his limbs let Lando know that finally, Luke was where he wanted him. "Don't worry, baby," Lando reassured Luke, leaning down to kiss Luke's hip. "I'll give you what you need." 

Lando poured the oil over his hand and grabbed Luke's cock, hot and silky-hard, and perfectly sized for his hand. Lando pumped Luke leisurely, before shifting so his own hardening erection could drag alongside Luke's. 

"Luke," Lando groaned, the words punching out of him, desperate and longing. Lando wanted, he wanted this, he wanted him and Luke moving together, nothing but two bodies and time to enjoy each other. 

Luke quickly became incoherent, his hips jerking in uncontrolled motions. Lando had to pin Luke's hip down with his free hand. Otherwise he'd lose control himself, thrust against the soft join of Luke's hip and spend all over that pretty stomach. But somehow, he kept his hand wrapped around both their cocks steady and gentle as he stoked both their pleasure. 

Luke was well beyond words by the time Lando was ready to take him, but his thighs were splayed wide, and he shifted himself to take Lando. "Gorgeous, Luke," Lando murmured as he shifted to line himself up with Luke's entrance. "So open for me." 

"Lando," Luke begged, and Lando pressed himself in with one long, smooth stroke. 

Luke nearly sobbed in relief, his fingers twisting the silks as his hands grasped beside him. Lando leaned forward, laying out his body so he bracketed Luke, surrounding, enveloping, claiming. Lando bore Luke down to the ground and fucked him slowly, drawing out every desperate moan and pleased whimper he could. 

He and Luke had always loved playing with each other. In those early days after the war, more often Luke played the tease, showing up when Lando was in the middle of tense business negotiations and distracting him. Lando could remember one memorable day when he had refused a lunch meeting with Luke, and then found himself too rushed for dinner as well. Luke had shown up at his quarters that night and insisted on having Lando for dessert. Lando had wound up tied to the bedframe as Luke leisurely worked him for hours. 

But as the years had gone on, Lando had gotten better at taking care of himself. It seemed Luke had gotten worse. The galaxy's lone Jedi had found more and more to take onto his shoulders. This was the least Lando could do, take him slowly in the moonlight, give Luke a space where the only thing on his mind was more pleasure. 

But nothing could last forever, and eventually Lando couldn't restrain himself. Luke was tight, and hot, and perfect, and begging. Lando gave into his pleas, fucking Luke faster and faster. He slid a hand between their bodies and grabbed Luke's cock, working it in time with his thrusts. Lando thrust fast and hard, but he grit his teeth and held off his own orgasm until Luke was pulsing in his hand, and then Lando pounded into Luke a handful of frantic times before he crashed into Luke and spilled over with a gasp. 

He and Luke clung to each other for a quiet eternity, as the bliss rolled through both of them. This might be the moment that Lando loved most of all, warm bodies pressed together, breathing together, tender and oversensitive with pleasure. Lando felt himself start to soften and slip free of Luke, but he still wasn't willing to move. He didn't want to disturb the moment. 

It was Luke who moved first, shifting so he could steal a kiss, then getting to his feet and pulling Lando up as well. Lando groaned as he stood. They both creaked more than they used to. 

Luke wrapped Lando up in kisses and guided him down to the warm water of the ocean, until they were both naked up to their chests and still kissing. The ocean gently rinsed them off. Lando shivered with the dual sensations—warm water around him, Luke silky and strong brushing up against him. 

Then, a thought occurred to Lando, and he pulled back and laughed. 

"Hm?" Luke asked, sounding indulgent. His fingers still played along Lando's neck and collarbone; evidently he was reluctant to let Lando go. 

"I'm just thinking I'm very glad I steered us around to the far side of the island, otherwise we'd be giving our Ettab friends quite the show." Lando wiggled a little to prove the point. "Mating practices of the galactic primate." 

Luke laughed too, stepping closer and squeezing Lando's ass. "An anthropological opportunity." Luke's gaze softened, and he added quietly, "Thanks. I know I get caught up in things." 

Lando leaned in and brushed a kiss against Luke's temple. "They're important things. And tomorrow you'll get back to them. But you'll burn yourself out if you don't take the time to breath. I'll help you do it. Tonight, here and now, just be with me." 

Luke hummed, his grip shifting to Lando's thighs as he gathered Lando's legs around his waist, until he was holding Lando with one hand braced against his ass, the other cradling Lando's jaw as he stole another kiss. 

"I'm thinking…maybe we actually stay another day," Luke said as he pulled back, his thumb tracing over Lando's cheek. "There's a lot more to see and…well, you took care of me, I have some ideas on how to return the favor." 

"Oh really, is that—oh!" Lando gasped when Luke took two long strides out of the water, showing no particular strain as gravity kicked in again and Lando's weight rested more solidly against him. Lando always forgot how strong Luke was, but decades of Jedi-mastering had clearly paid off. 

"Really," Luke promised, as he walked them both back to the silks. 

"I'm certainly not going to object to that," Lando said, laughing a little as Luke laid him down against the fabric, then tucked himself in next to Lando. "Though I have to say, tonight wasn't exactly a hardship." 

"Good," Luke said, pressing his nose against Lando's collarbone. "But still, wouldn't it be nice to wake up slow tomorrow? With me already in that plush bed of yours? We could have luxurious, slow, sex, then eat breakfast so late it might as well be lunch. Maybe visit that casino I saw. You could go a couple rounds of sabacc while I play at being your arm candy?" Luke gave a soft laugh against Lando's neck. "Granted, I don't make such convincing arm candy these days." 

Lando wrapped his arms around Luke, kissing the top of his head. "You're spending too much time around youth, sweetheart. You're getting it mixed up with beauty. You're still unfairly pretty. As for the rest…it sounds perfect." 

"Good," Luke said, burrowing closer.

A rush of emotion kicked in Lando's chest. Luke still fit in his arms. Fit perfectly. "I've missed you," Lando said softly, not only meaning their physical years apart. He missed Luke's laugh, missed the shape of Luke next to him, missed being able to share Luke's easy wonder. He had worried he'd lost it, that the universe had stolen it when Lando had looked the other way. 

"You found me," Luke said, and Lando felt sure Luke understood all the things he didn't say. "Thank you." 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I really had fun with the worldbuilding on this one, trying to create a world for Luke and Lando to explore. It's really interesting for me to think of how an entirely aquatic species would do in the Star Wars universe. What do their spaceships look like? Do they have colonies in other underwater worlds - like amidst the gungans on Naboo? I think they do. I like the idea that there's this whole world that our land-dwelling protagonists miss, because it happens underwater. 
> 
> In my mind, the Ettab people look a lot like giant betta fish. 
> 
> ...Yes. Yes I did just shuffle the B at the end of the world and call it a species. I stand by my decision! I follow the grand naming traditions of the Star Wars Universe, that amazing collection of work that has brought the spavat (space cravat), the spamel (space camel), and the planet of Stewjon. Inspired by the source material, I was! 
> 
> Anyway, thank you again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!


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